Holders Rangers remain on course for the treble after dismissing Dunfermline with ease to reach the semi-finals of the Tennent's Scottish Cup.

Goals from Peter Lovenkrands, Barry Ferguson and Mikel Arteta earned them a 3-0 replay victory in a one-sided contest which scarcely resembled last month's feisty draw at East End Park.

Rangers will now meet the Scottish Premier League's bottom club Motherwell at Hampden Park on April 19.

There were plenty of empty seats across Ibrox for a game that was also being broadcast live on Sky but those who did opt to rise from their armchairs were not starved of entertainment.

The first half resembled a Scottish translation of last night's Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Manchester United, with Rangers playing the part of the swaggering Spaniards and Dunfermline, as Sir Alex Ferguson's men had done, trying to get in the way as best they could.

Ronald de Boer, a former thorn in Real's side before leaving Barcelona for Govan, orchestrated his side's attacks with turns and flicks that Zinedine Zidane, but few others, can call a commonplace, and Michael Mols, whose career had been put on hold by a bad knee injury sustained in the Champions League four seasons ago, was also too lively for the Pars defence's liking.

Pass followed pass and even Bert Konterman was looking like a quality playmaker although when the temptation to try a Samba-style flick proved too much he ended up giving it straight to the nearest opponent.

But it was Ferguson, Scottish football's player of the season in waiting, who earned the plaudits with his 18th goal of a remarkable season.

The midfielder was only able to take to the pitch because of a pain-killing injection to numb his persistent pelvic problem, plus the fact that the ban imposed for getting sent off in the original game did not apply to this replay.

His goal was a memorable one too, a diving header from eight yards out after he had left marker Steven Hampshire trailing to get on the end of an Arthur Numan cross.

That had made it 2-0 after Lovenkrands had capitalised on an early breakdown in communication between Dunfermline goalkeeper Derek Stillie and defender Andrius Skerla.

Stillie had thrown the ball to the Lithuanian but Lovenkrands had anticipated it and used his pace to rob the defender and slot past the goalkeeper to give his side a fourth-minute lead.

The Pars had already gone close by this point however with Craig Brewster sending Hampshire through after cleverly turning Scotland hopeful Bob Malcolm.

Hampshire's shot ended up in the side-netting however and when Brewster produced another sublime through-ball just before the break, former Rangers man Barry Nicholson found himself with only Stefan Klos to beat.

However, the German was able to tip his shot round his left-hand post and Nicholson was distraught to realise a goal-kick had mistakenly been given.

But it could have been worse for the Fifers, whose miserable, three decade-long winless run on this ground continued.

Gary Mason had appeared to barge Mols over in the box and in the seventh minute Ferguson had failed to find an empty net after Stillie had had to come out of his area at speed to stop de Boer getting to an under-hit back-pass from Ged Brannan but could find only the Rangers midfielder.

On the restart, Rangers continued where they had left off with Mols firing a good chance across goal and wide and Lovenkrands testing Stillie with a low drive.

Konterman went on a gallop down the left wing on de Boer's prompting that was so speedy the fans had to check it was really him in the number 15 shirt.

Brannan produced a header from a corner that was not far off target but Rangers' reply was a 55th-minute third from Arteta.

De Boer was the instigator with a simple through-ball that found the Spaniard's run into the box and his finish, a little dink over the goalkeeper as he slid out to meet him, continued the European theme as it was reminiscent of Kenny Dalglish's European Cup winner for Liverpool against Club Bruges back in 1978.

On this occasion, two defenders had got back to try to stop it crossing the line but as Lee Bullen watched helplessly Skerla could only help it into the net at the near post.

It was a night to forget for Hampshire as he fired over with all the goal to aim at and Rangers decided it was time to give others a run-out.

Neil McCann came on for Numan, who had made a comeback from a knee injury, and de Boer was applauded off when Claudio Caniggia came on.

The veteran had netted six of his 10 goals this season against the Pars and a seventh looked odds-on when Lovenkrands squared the ball across goal and Chris McGroarty failed to cut it out. Caniggia delayed however and the chance was gone.

Shota Arveladze was an even later replacement, for Ferguson, and he continued his bizarre knack of almost but not quite scoring by pinging the ball off the top of the crossbar with a minute remaining.

Arteta twice needed treatment after taking knocks but was able to complete the 90 minutes as his side turned their attention to Sunday's trip to Dundee United and the prospect of taking a step nearer to wresting the championship back from Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Teams

Rangers: Klos, Ricksen, Malcolm, Amoruso, Numan (McCann 65), Arteta, Konterman, Ferguson (Arveladze 73), De Boer (Caniggia 67), Mols, Lovenkrands.

Subs Not Used: McGregor, Hughes.

Goals: Lovenkrands 4, Ferguson 19, Arteta 54.

Dunfermline: Stillie, Nicholson, MacPherson (Kilgannon 45), Skerla, Brannan (Grondin 73), Bullen, Mason, McGroarty, Hampshire, Crawford, Brewster (Hunt 61).

Subs Not Used: Ruitenbeek, McGarty.

Booked: Grondin.

Att: 24,752

Ref: J Underhill (Scotland).